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Severe Weather Information

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All of us on the UT Benefits team continue to hold everyone who has been affected by Hurricane Harvey in our thoughts.

Many of our UT Employees, Retirees, and their families live in parts of Texas that have been devastated by high winds and historic levels of flooding. As they begin the long journey of putting their lives and homes back together, we want to do everything we can to help lighten the load.

We’ve worked with all of our contracted plan administrators to ensure that our participants who live in the counties included in Governor Abbott’s disaster declaration can access their UT Benefits as easily as possible. These accommodations are currently in place without a specific “expiration date” and will be reviewed over time as recovery from the disaster progresses.

Premium Payments and Maintaining Coverage

First and foremost, please rest assured that your coverage will remain in place even if deadlines for payment of your out-of-pocket premiums cannot be met. Our institutions and billing offices will work with affected Employees and Retirees to arrange for payment at a later date and set up payment plans as necessary. For those who live in affected areas, coverage will not be cancelled during this time due to non-payment of premiums.

Accessing Services

For assistance with getting ID Cards or locating providers or pharmacies, please contact the appropriate customer service team at BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, Express Scripts, Delta Dental, or Superior Vision.

Prescription Medications

In some cases, vital medications may have been lost or left behind during evacuations and need to be replaced quickly, particularly where people are still unable to access their homes. Special provisions have been put in place at Express Scripts (ESI) for those who live in the affected area that should streamline your ability to refill medications at retail pharmacies.

Medical Services Away from Home

We know many members will not be able to visit their usual medical providers for some time and may need to access services quickly. So, we’ve worked with BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (BCBSTX) to limit out-of-pocket costs when affected UT SELECT Medical plan members need to visit non-network providers or facilities. Claim filing deadlines and pre-authorization requirements have also been eased.

UT FLEX Accounts

For those with UT FLEX Health Care Reimbursement Accounts, your debit cards will remain active and documentation requests will be temporarily suspended. For those who are unable to access mail at their permanent address and need reimbursement for eligible expenses, Maestro is currently working on options so reimbursement checks can be provided as quickly as possible.